Friday, January 31, 2014

Just when I thought that my 'stuffing karma' had frozen over for the Winter, and all had been calm as a Lamb for far too long... When I was beginning to think that all I would be left with until the Spring thaw were crafts and 'clean-out' projects...

L.A.R.G.E. red ice cube Sparkling in the deceptive sun. Frozen with silver garland in a Candy Mold... just HOPING it will melt SOON!!!!

Friday, January 24, 2014

I'm sure any of you who follow me on PINTEREST can guess in a heartbeat what my latest obsession is...

I've been lurking in the aisles of the 'Big Box' craft stores for quite a while... just waiting for the right sale / coupon before I made The. Plunge. The other day I was discussing 'metal stamping' with my boss at the 'old downtown Hardware Store' - he gave me The.Most.Puzzled.Look and said "We have those." Then proceeded to show me a low, corner shelf in the hardware that held several of the most WONDERFUL pre-loved, dove tailed wooden boxes in various sizes of LETTERS (only one PLASTIC box of Numbers!!).((sigh))It was LOVE at first sight.

and now, 'DEPT 14' joins the rest of MY special TOOLS ~ all of which live in MY special TOOL BOX!! Okay all you bloggers - fess up, I KNOW YOU have your own quirky SPECIAL TOOLS & BOXES TOO - I want to hear about them!!!!

The 'clam knife' is probably myFAVORITE 'all-time-go-to' tool!

You were wondering 'WHY the blue evening bag?' - I could tell! Well... It is in there to hold all of the 'essential smalls' - you know The 'Metal Chalk', The extendable magnet, The small metal file, the hole punches in various sizes, the boyscout canopener, the line level...

Saturday, January 18, 2014

REMEMBER my 'BUTTON SELECTION DILEMA' for the 'Infinity Scarf' I was in the process of creating??!

Well, just 6 days later, the body of the scarf was delivered to me! AND this morning I made my selection, and attached the buttons !! The vintage, oval, blacks from the AUBURN BUTTON WORKS were the winners - I'm kinda proud of OUR (Thanks T.!!) joint design-build and (BEST PART) Completion of this little Winter project!!!

Monday, January 13, 2014

During our ~BRIEF~ 'heat wave' (above 20°), J & I had Cabin Fever, and decided to go check out the Sea Glass Beach. The beach was still covered in snow, but apparently we weren't the only ones with cabin fever!! BRRRR.....

The Thrift Shops haven't provided me with anything new to show you either, except some NASTY leftover Christmas 'gift-pack' flavored oils (ewe!!) and melted candles ~ **NO THESE DID NOT COME HOME WITH ME!**

On the Creative side of things, I DID have The.Most.Enjoyable Saturday!!

Fri. night I was chatting w/ a friend (T.) who saw our 'Pedestals' at 'The Craft Show that Shouldn't Have Been...', said she had been thinking about them and might want to buy one. I knew T. crochet. I told her I had a proposition for her...

You see, I have loooonggggg been admiring these Winter knit & crochet Infinity scarves that are so popular now. (*Did you know this is just a come back for them? They were originally popular back in the 1950's - 60's, but were called SMOKE RINGS; which is now Politically incorrect! VERA did quite a few in silk!!*). I would trade her a PEDESTAL for her time in making an INFINITY. She loved the idea. We set a date for Sat. am - B-fast, and then off to hit some yarn shops in search of a pattern and yarn. OH, my! Now I was getting a bit nervous and a rash was starting to set in... B-fast - YES! Patterns & 'Old Lady' sewing shops - not.so.much, hmmmm......

We went to TWO yarn shops, talked to the sweetest lady at the first shop, I FELL IN LOVE with all of the Delicious yarns (and I don't do fibre arts!!), she taught me all about weights and the type of results that could be achieved with Bulky vs Extra Bulky. They had all kinds of scarves, collars and shawls made up that I could try on... I made sketches, took photos (with their permision & HELP!!), got measurements (T. was impressed that I ALWAYS carry a tape measure in my purse!). So in the end... I don't want 'just a basic Infinity Scarf' - we didn't need to buy a pattern, we created our own! 'My Designer T.' is making me a custom 'svelteSTUFF' creation -I can't wait to see it!!

T. is doing the 'bodywork' and then I will be adding the 'details'. I came home Sat. night and went in search of BUTTONS!!! I just.happened.to.have a Basket marked BUTTONS in the Attic Studio (you are surprised aren't you?!!)What Fun going through those vintage treasures!I only need THREE (3!) though...So the tough part is going to be the 'final' decision(but I'll make that when I can see the whole thing together!!)

"Jump in, let's go Lay back, enjoy the show Everybody gets high, everybody gets low These are the days when anything goes

Everyday is a winding road I get a little bit closer Everyday is a faded sign I get a little bit closer to feeling fine"

Friday, January 3, 2014

Still, a 'Bright & Shiny' NEW Year...Brimming with potential and possibilities,Now what shall we do with it?2014."RESOLUTIONS"... my, how I dislike that word. I recently read the definition of this word to be "Your 'TO-DO LIST for the first week of January ". I thought that to be rather appropriate!Harmony~ Happiness~ Creativity

Yes. I think these three simple words will make Perfect 'goals' for ME for 2014! They apply to sooo many important aspects of my life...
﻿﻿

Family...Travelling... Saling... Purging... Gardening... Cooking...We'll see. Anybody else out there have plans for their shiny new 2014?? I'd love to hear them!!ETSY recently published this article on a '365 Creativity Plan'. I found it interesting, and I didn't want to lose it, so here it is...

1. Take a 5 minute walk and make something where you end up using what’s available. Leave it there for someone else to discover, but be sure to document it first!2. What do you collect? Work with a collection of objects you have in your home (or borrow a friend’s, if you like).3. Transform an old book into something new by cutting, folding, gluing, etc.4. Create or alter something so that it disappears into its background.5. Can you create something using a material that will dissipate quickly? (For example: soap bubbles, smoke, butter on a griddle, cream in coffee, etc.)6. Turn today’s junk mail (or spam email) into something much more appealing.7. Make an image with just words or letters. You can cut them from a magazine, draw them yourself or print out words on a computer to work with.8. Re-interpret your favorite childhood story.9. Make a unique trophy. Bonus: award it to someone!10. Add a face to something that normally doesn’t have one.Be sure to visit my site, MakeSomething365.com, where I’m cataloging 365 projects to inspire folks to start their own! And, of course, let me know if you do start your own project and I’ll be sure to share it there too.

Want it... NOW!?

ODOMETER

PINTEREST

About Me

***THIS BLOG MAKES NO GUARANTEES from day-to-day***
(but then again - that's LIFE ~ right?!)
......................................."Teen of the eighties" with a soul from the 50's. STUFF! Mixed in with tales of the journey & adventures along the way. From time to time escaping to the kitchen, garden, attic-studio or beach for a change of pace. ....INSPIRATION:
VERA NEUMANN: “Known for her bold use of color and brilliant designs, Vera’s artwork is still immediately identifiable today. She believed that fine art should not be relegated to the walls, but enjoyed in everyday life. "